Until Morning Comes
by x-mangle
Summary: What happens when a poor woman deposits a baby onto Will and Elizabeth's doorstep? What if this baby had characteristics belonging to a certain pirate captain? R
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer/Author's notes: Don't sue this lowly author for she has no loot. Unless you'd like ten cents and a couple moths, feel free. :) I wish I owned Jack/Johnny Depp and all the other characters. It would make for many fun afternoons. *tramps off to let you read the story* Reviews make me happy!  
  
Until Morning Comes  
  
Nighttime had settled over Port Royale, the shops were all closed, and mostly everyone was asleep in their respective homes. The dense fog had settled over the small town, giving the dimly lit streets an eerie, ghostly air of feeling. The governor's mansion stood atop the highest hill in the small harbor town, looking down upon the peasant shops, civilian bars, and homes. A smaller, seperate structure stood beside the great mansion, looking no less extravagant beside the more superior home. This structure housed the governor's own daughter, simply named Elizabeth, and her beloved husband, Will, once a lowly blacksmith.  
  
The governor had hired the best workers in the entire town of Port Royale to build this house, because after all, nothing was too good for his daughter and son-in-law. All of this took place after the couple's heroic adventure with the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl, when pirates had kidnapped Elizabeth and taken her hostage, mistakening her for the Turner family's youngest heiress. After returning Elizabeth to her rightful home, the pirate Captain Sparrow had escaped with his life, and William had taken Elizabeth for his bride. The town buzzed with gossip for weeks after this adventure had closed to an end, and many rumours spead about, none of which were true. Will and Elizabeth had recieved their own, seperate home as a wedding gift from the governor, and the town had quieted down...for the meantime.  
  
A lithe, unknown figure cut through the night fog as it made it's way down the deserted street. An unitentitable bundle was concealed in the person's arms as it ran, breath coming out in small clouds of cold air. The figure stopped, leaning against the wall of a random shop, and pulled back the hood of the cloak it was wearing. She was definately a woman, even in the dim street light one could see the gentle curve of her face, sleek facial features, and most of all -- her soft, strawberry red hair. Such a well groomed woman was not common in the town, due to lack of hygiene and personal care. The woman pulled back a flap of the bundle covering her burden to reveal a tiny baby. The babe was obviously the offspring of the woman, since the child had bright red hair, but other characteristics weren't as comparable. The baby's cheekbones stood out, and were unnaurally high, highlighting her face when it laughed. The woman smiled as the baby opened it's eyes, revealing its deep brown eyes. She looked behind her to make sure no one was following her, then she continued her trek towards the smaller mansion that neighbored the bigger one.  
  
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"Why must we go to those bloody parties? They're so stuffy, I have to wear one of those damn corsets, plus I've probably been to every one Port Royale has ever held! I'd like a break, William," Elizabeth looked at her husbands face as they lay in bed as he told her the news of yet another party.  
  
Will took his wife of just six month's hand, and looked into her eyes. "Please, just one more? I've never been to one, because you know the blacksmiths never ge invited anywhere. All the important officials are afraid we'll get soot everywhere and you know that's not tru--" Elizabeth placed her fingers on her husband's lips, hiding a smile at his eagerness. "If you really want to go, then I will accompany you. Although they're really nothing to be excited about. You'll learn that quickly." Will smiled and kissed his wife, the flickering light from the bedside candles casting shadows everywhere across the room.  
  
A rustle of bushes from the bushes outside caught Elizabeth's attention and she broke away from her husband. Will looked puzzled and grabbed Elizabeth's hand, but she quietly slipped out of bed.  
  
"'Liz, it's probably just some animal that got loose from it's owner. Come back to bed, it's cold outside," Will pleaded as Elizabeth made her way to the open patio doors. The bitter wind traveled through the doors, violently tossing the candle flames around, almost putting them out.  
  
Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she pulled her robe closed tighter around her nightgown-clad body, tying the sash around her waist. "Now I just want to see what it was, worrywart." She paused, and smiled, pursing her lips. "It's not like a cursed pirate will jump out at me, and try to cut my throat." Will rolled his eyes as Elizabeth stepped out onto the patio and looked down into the foliage below. Something dashing across the lawn caught her eye and she snapped her head towards it; it was the figure of a person. Whoever it was didn't appear to have anything in their arms, so therefore burglary was not an option.  
  
More rustling from below then caught Will's attention and he looked questioningly at his wife. Elizabeth caught his gaze, and quickly made her way to the doorway. "Someone was here...and they left something." Will threw back the bed's comforter and put his hands on Elizabeth's shoulders. "You don't know what it could be. Stay here, I'll check."  
  
Elizabeth glared daggers at him. "I'm quite capable enough to take care of myself if it happens to be anything dangerous. Which I highly believe it is not." She brushed past him, leaving him there looking somewhat stunned, before following her down the marble steps to the front door. Elizabeth reached the door first, and tentatively opened it, glancing at the outside cautiously before stepping onto the stoop. Something lying in her way nearly made her trip, but Will caught her in time before she tumbled down the steps.  
  
"Good Lord, Will.." Elizabeth's eyes widened as the baby lying on the front stoop gurgled and reached out for her. She reached out and, making sure a hand was behind the child's head to support it's head, picked it up and cradled it to her breast. She looked out across the lawn to where she had seen the woman flee, but no one was visible.  
  
"Why in the world would someone leave their child here?" The baby shifted in it's bundle of blankets, revealing a small piece of folded paper tucked into the bundle's folds. Will picked the paper out of the blanket and opened it for them to read.  
  
"Dear occupants, please graciously welcome my child into your home, for you have far more money than I could ever scrounge up. Her father left us for the sea, and I can scarcely find rations for myself, let alone another being. Please give her the love and care Caroline deserves. You are forever in my debt." Will flipped the page over for a signature, or any other form of identification, but there was none.  
  
Elizabeth smiled as Caroline grabbed onto her hair and gently tugged with her tiny hands. "Will, we need to keep her. You know we can't just throw her out." Will looked into her wife's pleading eyes. They had been trying for a child since they got married, but no luck. A look of discern crossed Will's features.  
  
"This baby looks nothing like us...the town will think of you as a tramp."  
  
"Oh, you know I don't care what any of those toads think of me. Let them gossip about our lives, I could care less. I want to keep her."  
  
Will finally nodded, tucking the note into his pocket as he led his wife and new daughter inside their home, closing the door behind them. From off the grounds, the unknown woman from before rose from her position behind a building, wiping a tear from her cheek as she walked away to the harbour.  
  
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Well, what do you think? Next chapter coming soon, lovies. 


	2. Chapter 2

Whee second chapter. I've never attempted a multi-chapter fic before, due to my laziness *cough* But I'll keep kicking myself in the ass to get this one updated a lot. Promise. Cross my heart stick a sword in my eye.  
  
OtterMoon - Thanks for the review, here's the update :)  
  
orli*N*keira - I tried portraying Elizabeth like in the movie...I never thought she was very ladylike to begin with. So I just went on that. I'm glad you liked it.  
  
TortillaInLuv - Whee, thanks :) I'm planning on having a few unsuspected twists, so I hope that's what you like?  
  
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"Caroline? Cari, where are you?" Elizabeth tried not to let the worry stab at her chest as she looked for her daughter. The sun was just setting behind the rocky cliffs, making the house darker than usual; not very good conditions for child-hunting. A giggle behind her caught her attention and she whirled around to see the ends of a girl's skirts whip around the corner. Elizabeth pursed her lips at the child's antics as she stalked to where Caroline had dissapeared into the master bedroom. Poking her head through the doorway there was no impression that a mini-tornado had torn through the room. Everything was neat and kept, and not a noise came from under the bed or the closet.  
  
Elizabeth smirked as she started to waltz slowly down the hallway, and she said in a singsong voice, "Oh well, I guess I will just have to eat that lovely chocolate cake the cook made all by myself if I have no one to enjoy it with..."A head peered out into the hall at her mother and Elizabeth quickly reacted before the child could.   
  
"Mother! You tricked me!" Six year old Caroline Turner huffed and crossed her arms as Elizabeth carried her child to the bathroom.   
  
"Well, how else am I supposed to get you into the bathtub? You haven't had one today, and you're filthy!" Elizabeth glances hapazardly in case anyone was around to hear, and she whispered to her daughter. "Plus, I'm sure your father will take you to the shop later today, okay? So come on!" She knew Caroline liked to frequent the blacksmith's shop with her father, and wanted to be skilled with a sword. If only society would allow it, for she only wanted her daughter to be happy even if she weren't her birth mother.   
  
Caroline's face lit up as her auburn curls fell into her face. "Okay, okay I'll take a bloody bath if you would loosen up on my waist a little bit!" Elizabeth set her daughter down on the plush carpet and Caroline ran off in the direction of the bathroom. Elizabeth wiped her hands on the front of her plain dress as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. She smiled and leaned back into Will as he held her.  
  
"Why does that child seem to be so intent on staying filthy?"  
  
"Give her a break, Liz, she's just a kid. Kids get dirty."  
  
"Yes, but then the filthy kids can't stay filthy. What would my father say if his granddaughter wandered up to her house with snails in her pockets and mud on her face?"  
  
Will rolled his eyes and planted a light kiss on his wife's neck and wandered down the hall to assist his daughter in getting clean. A loud shout, a shriek, and a splash of water later Elizabeth was down the hall and in the bathroom. A very wet, and slightly frusterated Will was attempting to catch his slippery daughter and put her back in the bathtub. Caroline attempted to push past her mother but Elizabeth scooped up her naked and wet daughter with a stern look and replaced her back in the tub. Caroline took one look at her mother's face and she sat still in the tub and allowed her hair to be washed, and her body scrubbed.  
  
Will scratched his head as he watched his wife and daughter as they finished. "How do you do that?"  
  
Elizabeth smiled and gave Will a quick kiss before walking into the next room to dress Caroline. "It's a motherly thing."   
  
Will smirked. "Apparently I have a lot to learn."  
  
Caroline gazed out the window as Elizabeth finished dressing her. An unidentifiable man stood in the gardens below; she could only tell the man had on a hat, coat, and had rather long, shaggy hair. Caroline opened her mouth to tell her mother, knowing the mansion's grounds were off limits to civilians, but as soon as she looked away the man had dissapeared.   
  
"Cari?" Elizabeth looked at her daughter, and Caroline snapped out of her trance and smiled at her mother. "What's out there? Did you see someone?"  
  
Caroline stuttered for the right words, but eventually waved it off as it being simply a squirrel that caught her attention. "I'm gonna go see if Cook wants me to help him get dinner ready."  
  
"Alright, just try not to make too much of a mess. The maids don't like that." Elizabeth gave her daughter a quick peck on the forehead as she ran off to the kitchens. Will sat on the plush bed beside his wife and peered out the window. "You don't think she was telling the truth either?"  
  
Elizabeth shook her head. "She earned her bad lying skills from you, Will." She smiled as Will gave her a playful kiss. "But I'm sure it was nothing to worry about."  
  
Will sat back on the bed with a pensive expression on his face. "I was thinking that maybe Cari's old enough to know where she's from, now. I mean, it's better for her to know earlier, isn't it?"  
  
Elizabeth frowned. "But we don't even know where she's from. All I saw was the outline of a woman running across the lawn with Caroline in her arms, I never even saw her real mother's face! I don't want her to be wondering all of her life." Will enveloped Elizabeth in her arms.  
  
"I know that we haven't been able to have kids, and when one just happened to pop up on our doorstep you vowed never to let anything bad happen to her, but you've got to lighten up a little. She's growing up and you're either watching her every second of the day or you're doing anything for her that's the least bit challenging." He squeezed her shoulder a little bit in a comforting manner. "She's learning, let her experience life."  
  
Elizabeth smiled as Will gave her a tender kiss on the forehead and he left to see what kind of tornado Caroline left for the maids to clean. She sighed and leaned back against the fluffy pillows, intent on taking a short nap before dinner. Outside, the wind ruffled through the trees as night began to fall again upon Port Royale. A dark figure made his way down the sloping lawns of the property, and slipped through the bars of the gates unnoticed. He looked back to the mansion, and smiled a knowing grin, the light catching upon a few golden teeth in the man's mouth.  
  
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So? So? :) If you can't guess who the mystery man is I think you need someone to examine your head. Next chapter coming really soon, sorry for the delay! 


	3. Chapter 3

Yay next chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewd. I TOLD you I'd hurry up with the next chapter. =P  
  
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The air was thick in Port Royale as the sun began to rise over the neighboring mountains. Thick enough to cut with a rather fine sword, as Captain Jack Sparrow would say, as he kneeled behind a stone statue that stood beside the blacksmith's shop. A quick movement and he was hidden from view as peasant women slowly began to leak out of their homes to feed their crowds of chickens, children, and husbands. Jack winced slightly as he slowly stretched out his legs. The price for not being caught where he was most wanted meant very sore legs from kneeling behind bloody statues for long amounts of time.   
  
He plucked his hat off of his head, and laid it in his lap as he remembered the child he'd seen in the Turner's window last night. She definately had his features; high cheekbones, prominant nose, and those eyes. The child's eyes were darker than the kohl he smeared around his own. They had locked eyes for a brief few seconds, and he was stunned, not only by her eyes, but by her hair. Her auburn red curls matched her mother's exactly.   
  
"Captain Jack Sparrow proven wrong by a lowly barwench," he mused quietly to himself. He could remember that night profusely, only because something had actually come out of it. And she was living at the top of the highest hill in Port Royale.   
  
He had gotten rather drunk off a swig too many of his favorite brand of rum, when this pretty little redheaded wench sat herself neatly into his lap. Needless to say, there happened to be one extra room open that night in the pub, and it was one of the most memorable nights with a bar wench he could remember. He hadn't known she was pregnant until about five years afterward when he frequented the same bar, and she attacked him with a loose plank of wood. Actually, make that a loose plank of wood with a lot of bloody nails stuck in the end. Jack's bottom still hurt at the memory.  
  
Jack cursed silenty as the streets began to get more crowded, and he hoped this feeble statue was enough to keep him from being sent to the gallows. He gave a precarious glance at a mangy stray dog that had sniffed it's way to the base of the statue, obviously smelling his unfamiliar pirate stench. The curious dog caught his gaze and backed away slowly, before retreating to his home somewhere across town.   
  
"And if your mother doesn't find out, I'll teach you how to hold one of daddy's swords, okay? But only if you promise to be careful."  
  
"I promise!"  
  
Jack peered cautiously around the statue to see none other than his old friend William Turner walk down the stone steps, hand-in-hand with the child he had seen in their window. He fumbled in his belt and pulled out Gibbs' rum flask and took a good swig. He was going to need all the help he could get if he was going to do this. He had heard Will call the child Caroline...what a perfectly respectable wealthy name for a female. But Jack of course was not a perfectly respectable wealthy man.  
  
Jack slipped out from his hiding place as soon as an old wooden cart rolled by and he slipped noiselessly into the blacksmith's shop. The place was dark, and heavily shadowed so therefore Will and Caroline didn't notice him as he entered. Jack was careful not to trip over any tools as he made his way along the wall. The shop smelled strongly of ash and metal, as Jack quickly noticed, also the almost unbearable heat, as he tuged a little at his shirt collar. The infamous donkey he had run into when he first met Will was still there, tied to the post, stamping it's hooves every so often.  
  
"Cari, hon, get daddy that hammer hanging on the wall by the door?"  
  
Jack froze as Caroline nodded and skipped across the hay-littered floor and brushed against Jack's coat as her hand went to grab the hammer off the peg. Her body froze as she spotted the man standing there and nearly let out a scream, but Jack's dirty hand clamped across her face before she could utter anything. Her leg, however, was not restrained and connected right square to Jack's groin. Jack let out a loud groan of pain as he doubled over, letting go of Caroline as she ran back to her father.   
  
"You!" The sound of a pistol cocking caught Jack's attention as he looked up and found Will pointing an expensive looking pistol at his head. "Who are you, and what business do you have with my daughter?"   
  
Jack knew Will could only see his silhouette for he was still very well concealed in the shadows. Caroline stared at him from behind her father with an awestruck look. She had recognized him as the mystery man she had seen from the night before on her parents' property.   
  
"Answer me!" Will was getting testy and if Jack didn't do something quickly he was going to get a bullet where it mattered. Jack coughed slightly and stood upright, holding his hands up in means of surrender.   
  
"She's not yer daughter, mate," he answered simply, but that didn't seem to ease Will at the slightest. That was, until he recognized the voice that came from the shadowed man. His gun arm lowered a bit and he stepped closer, careful, in case it wasn't who he thought it was. Caroline stared at her father curiously and tugged on his work apron.   
  
"Daddy, what are you doing? He's the bad guy! He's gonna kill you!" Will quieted his daughter, reassuring her that it was alright.  
  
"Jack Sparrow, it sure has been awhile," Will holstered the pistol and smiled as his friend stepped out of the shadows, lowering his arms. Will noticed his pirate friend had aged a little in the past years; traces of gray could be seen in his matted hair and a few more lines were traces along the edges of his eyes. Yet the trademark kohl was still smeared around his eyes.   
  
"Captain Jack Sparrow, mate, you keep forgetting." Jack winked, and bent down to Caroline's level, but she backed away and hid behind Will. Will suddenly remembered, and gave a confused look to Jack.   
  
"What did you mean...when you said she wasn't my daughter?"  
  
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Eh...I rushed at the end. You could say I got lazy. Reviews keep me writing! 


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